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A prophet has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 37-year-old woman to death and raping her 20-year-old daughter, leaving her half naked and with multiple stabs in the Silver Oaks village, Limpopo.
Limpopo Saps spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said that the motive behind the killing is unknown at this stage. However, it is alleged that the woman used to consult with the suspect since he was practicing as a prophet, said Mashaba.
Police investigations are continuing, and the suspect is expected to appear in Hoedspruit Magistrates’ Court soon.
Mashaba said:
Police arrested the 35-year-old suspect from Jane Furse, a town in Limpopo, for two counts rape and murder.
The information reported to the police suggests that the deceased told her sister before she died that she was stabbed together with her daughter by the suspect, who is also alleged to be a prophet.
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“Upon searching the house, the deceased's five-year-old younger brother was found tied with tape in his room. Preliminary investigation was conducted, resulting in the suspect being traced at his girlfriend's place in the Oaks.
"Unfortunately, he was not found at the time but was tracked successfully at the hiking spot along the road. He was then arrested and detained at the Hoedspruit Police Station,” added Mashaba.
Commissioner Urges police to prioritise safety of women and children
Meanwhile, the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has ordered the police to prioritise the safety of women, children and vulnerable groups in society.
Girl (15) kidnapped and raped
In a separate incident, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped and kidnapped for two days, from Christmas Day to 27 December 2023, at Tshidzini village under the Tshaulu policing precinct.
According to reports, the mother of the victim reported that her daughter went to visit a relative at the same village. Two days later, at about 9pm, she was contacted on her cellphone and informed that her daughter left home intending to play with other children but she never returned and cannot be located.
"She was never reported missing to the police until the victim's mother was contacted on Wednesday, 27 December, at 7pm. The mother was told that her daughter was found by a passer-by at an abandoned room in the same village. It is suspected that three unknown males were earlier seen coming out of the same room," Mashaba said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 15-year-old girl was walking back home when she was forcefully dragged by three unknown male suspects who took her to the abandoned house.
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"The safety of women and children has reached critical point. It is against this background that all resources in the Tshaulu policing precinct have been mobilised to apprehend the suspects, we must deal with pervasive patriarchal norms that promote the use of violence as an acceptable social practice.
"It cannot be right that women and children are continuously subjected to inhumane acts. This has to stop," added Hadebe.
